§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on plans for the 163W regeneration of former industrial sites in Wales; and what consultation takes place with local communities in the development of regeneration programmes. [69590]
Mr. Jon Owen JonesThe Welsh Development Agency's highly successful Land Reclamation Programme is progressively removing the remaining scars on the Welsh landscape. Since 1976, over £300 million has been spent on reclaiming some 18,000 acres of land and the Agency plans to spend £18 million in the current financial year reclaiming a further 370 hectares of land. Sites currently being reclaimed include the former British Coal Workshops in Tredegar.
The Programme is being developed in conjunction with local authorities who consult with the local community during the planning process. The Agency also consults local communities direct on a wide range of community-based regeneration programmes such as the Slate Valley's Initiative in North Wales. More generally, I welcome the fact that working more closely with local communities is one of the priorities identified in the WDA's current Corporate Plan.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.